Airport Dog Boarding: Minneapolis-St Paul Airport

Petrelocation.com - This is so great to see, especially for those of us involved in pet transportation and using the airport to help facilitate this process. Seeing these make us all happy, as it gives the pet owners the option to board animals during delays, canceled flights or when going on short trips - as they can leave their pets at a trusted boarding facility and see them the minute they get off the plane! With the demand in pet travel growing, we know that every major airport will one day have their own pet boarding facility right next to the Airport hotel for humans!

Boarding soon - your pets; airport OKs 24-hour kennelFliers won’t have to worry about a place to leave their dogs or cats

BY LIALA HELALPioneer Press

Twin Cities air travelers will soon be able to give their pets a vacation of their own - right at the airport.

The Metropolitan Airports Commission approved a plan last week to start taking bids on a proposed pet day care, boarding kennel and grooming facility at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

These facilities, sometimes called “pet resorts,” usually pamper pets while their owners vacation or go on business trips. Travelers would be able to drop off their cats or dogs at the 24-hour facility and take a shuttle to the terminal.

“More and more people have pets these days, and there are issues with what to do with their pets when they travel,” MAC spokesman Patrick Hogan said, noting Americans spend $38 billion annually on their pets.

“A lot of people don’t like to leave their pets at home,” Forwood said. “This way, (the pets) really get the chance to be socialized and play instead of being home by themselves.”

Pet day care corporations are eager to expand to meet growing demand. Pet Paradise Resort and Day Spa, which has branches in or next to airports in New Orleans and Seattle, also will open in Houston next year.

“From a convenience standpoint, we’re a place people can drop off their pets and board the plane,” said Pet Paradise Chief Operating Officer Fernando Acosta-Rua. “It obviously makes sense when you’re traveling.”

In Minneapolis, the plan is intended to be a solution to challenges travelers face when coordinating hours of pet facilities with travel plans.

“Other kennel facilities are only open certain hours of the day,” Hogan said. “If your flight gets in at 7 or 8 p.m., you would sometimes have to board your pets an extra day just because of the hours.”

Not everyone is content with the change, however.

Smaller, local pet boarders worry the airport facility could hurt their businesses.

“I’m concerned because it’s going to offer a few things that I don’t, namely 24-hour service and parking,” said Chris Snyder, owner of Al’s Boarding Kennel in Mendota Heights, the pet facility closest to the airport. “But my prices can be a lot more competitive. Convenience isn’t the only criteria people look at when boarding a pet.”

Her pet kennel is about a seven-minute drive from the airport, and several customers who are frequent air travelers have told Snyder they’ll remain loyal.

“I think a lot of people are looking for more than just proximity and convenience. It’s going to be a totally different facility,” Snyder said. “It does have me concerned, but I think in the long run, competition is good.”